Month: December 2017

PC gaming has had a great run with huge successes over the years. This is due to the fact that most popular games are available on PC version with awesome graphics and improved hardware which gives a far better gaming experience. The introduction of VR to PC came with such a buzz as this was a whole new level in gaming technology. PC gaming was going to make its biggest leap yet.

Virtual reality was a big hype from its inception. It came with headsets which gave a whole new language to gaming. It was supposed to be the beginning of a revolution for PC gaming. Fans were excited at the new development and waited for the new devices to hit the market. The expectations were quickly diminished by the quality and experience that followed. There were various options of VR head sets to choose from but each of them lacked a certain level of perfection added to the fact that the VR games which were available may not be the type of game you’d like to spend your time playing. In spite of their inability to live up to expectations VR games are still in the market, but what really went wrong? How did a most promising venture become a wash?

Lack of big games

Over a year into the introduction of VR and there were still no big games on the list. There were a few renowned releases such as Star Trek’s bridge Crew, Batman series called Arkham. A few other prominent games are expected to hit the market but big games from popular franchises are yet to show face. Not having the types of games that are highest on demand does put a gap in the demand for VR. People started going back to regular PC games. This may change in the future as there is room for major improvements to be made.

The VR games are way too conservative

The general idea and expectations of the gaming world upon the arrival of VR was a platform with freedom of movement an expression. The level of movement would be completely under the user’s control. Unfortunately this was far from the reality. The concept of VR held a large promise with the ability to view every corner around you and a full 360 view of your environment. The possibilities have no limits and yet the new games which were available fell short of these possibilities.

These limitations took away the whole essence of a VR experience. Some examples are Robo Recall; a combat game which keeps you on a straight path without the abilities to turn around, Wilsons Heart is another game which insists that players remain grounded on a spot, allowing only telepathic abilities, a single step away from point was enough to disqualify you. With so many limitations in movement such as walking, turning and the likes, one would wonder why it’s even called a virtual reality game.

Hardware inadequacies

The problem isn’t just the limitations experienced while playing the game; it starts from when you purchase the VR hardware. It’s expensive, its way too heavy, and let’s not even goes into the setup which by the way is difficult. A first time set up would be a little annoying. A few of the VR headsets like the Oculus and the Vive require high grade PCs to run. They also come with large cables which are a bit of an inconvenience. We may yet witness lighter head gears and fewer cables for VR in the future but that is being optimistic.

Is there any hope for VR in the future?

In spite of the rocky start, there is yet hope for VR gaming. This would come from reinvestment of big corporations into this possibility. Technology companies such as Microsoft, Acer and Lenovo are making meaningful contributions on their own part. Apple has also initiated a development on the Mac that would support VR platforms. There is so much expectation and this time there would be a complete over turn which might bring VR back to the spot light as the next big trend in PC gaming.

Since the inceptions of the Internet technology we have witnessed various shifts on the way things generally work. We witnessed the change in sources of entertainment, the introduction of social media platform which began to take boost product marketing and ecommerce. As we continue on this path we are constantly introduced to new tech and ways in which the internet can make our daily lives easier and cost effective. Thanks to the internet we no longer need to buy newspaper of magazines to know what’s on the new. These advantages have now skyrocketed to newer inventions which we today refer as Internet of things (ioT).

What is internet of things or IoT anyway?

These are the newest devices in the market. They are internet enabled devices, meaning that these electronic devices and gadgets can be controlled through the internet? These devices are TV, microwaves, refrigerators, security cameras, home lighting, air conditioners, and lots more. Lots of devices being produced today have been inducted as IoT devices.

A lot of people may have different views about this but it’s a technology that has come to stay and with time, other forms will phase out and we will witness a complete system overhaul. There may be a few concerns on issues such as the intricacies of these devices and the time taken to adjust to operations. Some might even challenge the safety and security of these devices knowing very well that the internet is a landmine filled with issues like viruses and hackers. What is the possibility that a business using these devices is safe from a hack that might lead to chaos. These questions remain unanswered but we can leave that to the experts and focus on what we and our businesses stand to gain from this migration from regular devices to internet of things.

Businesses can profit greatly from this new changes in so many ways. Every business would like new ways to cut costs and to operate more efficiently with less glitch. These are the promises of this new technology. Here are a few ways that IoT can change your business;

Accountability

Being accountable in your business isn’t always easy. Often times there is so much going on that you are unaware of, especially when you have large number of employees. With devices like IoT you can easily account for everything and everyone as you would have access to statistics and metrics that would allow you monitor operations.

Better data collection

The introduction of IOT into your business will give birth to more data platforms which will need monitoring as well. There would be better ways to collect data from customers, giving your business better strategies to engage customers. You can learn a lot from large data collection, such as customer behavior, feedback on services, employee data, business assets and inventory, accounting statistics and lots more. The only downside to this is that it may come with complex software that would require a professional.

High efficiency

Everything automatically becomes faster! You can reach any information you want with a single push of a button. Everything becomes internet based, meaning high efficiency, and faster deliveries. This would also mean that customers would expect better service as their expectations would rise as well.

Cheaper energy

Since everything is internet based and would require a very stable and cheap source of energy, the cost for energy would drop greatly given rise to cheaper alternatives. This is great for businesses as this means they would spend less of energy, which normally is a major cost for operations.

The rate of remote work will increase

The internet gives you flexibility and a wider reach. With the introduction of IoT and cloud technology you wouldn’t need to rush down to different locations for an urgent appointment, everything can be done remotely from wherever you are. The great thing with IOT is that all your devices, machines; appliances can all be connected in one single unit and accessible on your device. This also means that when you are miles away you can remotely monitor and control certain devices.

Increased productivity

This is an obvious turn out. When you are able to run your business remotely, cut down of energy cost, cut down on general operational cost, manage and monitor certain operations from a single unit, the result is a great increase in productivity. This buttresses the usefulness of IOT for business.

A few industries may close

Not everyone can keep up with this new competitive level of technology. The businesses that adopt this technology would become far more efficient, hereby stealing market shares and gaining more patronage from more customers while the old fashioned companies phase out and shut down. This may be a good thing as competition would also reduce.

The dream of any small business owner is to grow into a gigantic enterprise in lees time and using fewer resources. This is where you need to put on your thinking cap and map out your dreams. Dreams are drawn out into plans and plans become goals and goals are put into action to bring the dreams to life. When you’ve finally decide to step out of that level and slide into the next, be sure you are ready to take all the challenges along with the leap. There are, however, some smart strategies of modern business tech you can apply in order to take your small business to the next level:

Think longterm

For any small business to achieve lasting success, you have to base your policies and decisions based on longterm projections. This will give enough time for you to acquire the much experience needed and break down any challenges and develop a pattern that will help in moving your business continuously into progress. Short term goals and expectations, while they may be easy to target and achieve, may leave your business stagnant after a long while as they will not give your business the grooming and experiences it requires.

Do your researches

You need to make an analysis of your level in business tech, take into details, the necessary things that drive it into progress. Weigh the inputs required to push your business, make a scale of the risks likely to be involved, be very knowledgeable about the level of risk you are about to embark on and the likely level of losses you may encounter. Doing a thorough research will prepare your mind for both the predictable and the unforeseen, should they arise.

Rebrand

Rebranding your business puts on the spotlight again. It repositions your brand in the market and increases it visibility, bringing it to the focus of your customers while increasing the possibility of potential customers that are likely pleased with the appeal of your business brand.

Embrace new technology

Business tech is very useful to the growth of most businesses, with technology, you can easily reach your target customers, make business and market operations easy and keep yourself ahead of the other competitors. The growth of your business should align with the growth in business technology as this can make achieving your goals a much easier process. Determine what specific technology your business needs for its growth as not all technologies will be relevant and some will seem to take a huge cut out of your limited budget without offering an impact to a reasonable level. It is very vital to determine what’s important for your business without going out of your budget. Be abreast of the latest technology so that you can move along with the trend. For instance, you can automate processes in your organization from tracking time during projects to running payment transactions smoothly– this ensures efficiency and saves time.

Expand workforce according to growth

As you grow your business, there will be a need to assign new tasks to your employees, in which case, will already have a routinely task. You should really think ‘growth’ in every aspect, employ more labour where necessary. Make sure your employees are well trained and be sure to assign tasks to those with the relevant skills for the task so they wouldn’t make a mess of your business. Create a strong team of employees who will really work as a team and do not be scared to lay off an employee or more who are irrelevant to the growth of the company or whose contributed efforts are grossly inadequate. Feel free to delegate work to freelancers, they save you all the employee management protocols while they get the work done, but still make managerial skills for the organization a priority at this stage because it is an important factor in wheeling your business successfully to the next level.

Use collaborative tools

These will be helpful for building the framework for your business. Some of these tools come with a complete package of programmes that will give your business a push; these include project management, opportunity management and in-depth sales report and contact management. Some offer your team a platform to easily communicate with each other while at work with features that are helpful for team collaboration and productivity.